Armored tractor



PFE. HOLT ARMORED TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1918.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

3 SHEEISSHEET 1511 V9.2? (or.

. .Fiz'f/ ki'ifza/fi ATTORNEYS P E. HOLT.

ARMORED TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, I918.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P, E. HOLT.

ARMORED TRACTOR.

APPLICATION mm) MA'Y 20,1918.

Patented Jan. 11,1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

A TTOR NE Y5 A. UNITED stares PATENT omen.

PLINY E. HOLT, OF STOGKTBN. CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORFO THE HOLT MANUFAC- TURING COMIPAN'Y, 0F S'ILDCKTGN, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

ARMOBIED TRACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

Application filed May 20, 1918. Serial No. 235,643.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known-that I, PLINY E. HOLT, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county :of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Armored llractors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to traction engines of the self-laying track variety, and pertains especially to an armored tractor suitable for military purposes.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings- Fl ure 1 is a side view of the tractor part y in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan detailed view of the truck.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the motor and transmission housing in elevation.

Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical cross sections.

A-A represent a pair of endless, selflaying chain tracks on which the vehicle travels and is supported, and tl'rrough which tracks the engine is driven and steered by mechanism not necessary here to be shown;

the means for supporting the weight of the vehicle on the tracks and maintaining theposition of the tracks constitutnig the "chief features of the present invention. In view of the great length of these'machines, these tracks are quite long. Therefore, it becomes necessary to support the machine through the greater portion" of its length. To that end I employ a roller truck traveling on the ground run of the track and a roller truck composed of three hinged sections 23- ,+l; the front section 4 carrying the front id l'er, '5 and each section having its own set of load-supporting springs 6i T he track belt A passes around the front idler 5 and the rear drive sprocket Y, being operated through suitable drive connections from the motor 8. which is mounted in the armored casing 9. Each adjacent pair of truck sections and is hingedly connected by a rod 10; these rods extending across beneath the main frame and connecting the opposite trucks. 7

In addition to the bracing afforded the trucks by the hinged rods 10, I provide the radius rods or reins 11, which, as shown in Fig; 5, are'pivoted 'at one side. of the main frame across to the opposite truck. These reins allow for the free vertical movement of the truck sections in the ordinary travel of the machine over the ground. The upper run of the track supported o'n the rollers 14. In order to prevent the track from dropping away from the truckroller 16, each track link is provided with outrigger-s 17, or equivalent devices, engaging the inwardly turned flanges 18 of the cheek plates 19 on the truck sections. Some such means to keep the track up against the truck rollers is essential in machines of this sort where there is an extended stretch of track underneath the trucks, particularly where the vehicle has to bridge depressions in the terrain. Thetrucks are prevented from dropping away from the main frame by means. of bolts 20 which are anchored to the top of the truck frames and are headed at their upper ends and adapted to have a loose sliding fit on suitable guides on the main frame, so that while the bolts will not interfere with the spring motion of the trucks, with respect to the main frame, they limit the drop of the truck sections below the main frame. By the foregoing construction the trucks and tracks provide all necessary amplitude of movement and yet their operative relation is always properly maintained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat en ie 1. An armored tractor, comprising a main armored supporting frame, a pair of selflaying chain tracks at each side of the frame and supporting the same, a roller truck consistingof a plurality of articulated sections greater than two within each track, spring supports between each track section and the main frame, a main driving sprocket for each track mounted on the main frame, a front idler mounted on the forward end of the foremost truck section to guide the forward end of the track, and means by which the truck sections are prevented from dropping away from the main frame and thea' r track prevented from dropping away from the truck rollers, when the vehicle is bridg ing a depression.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of a main frameha self-laying chain track at each side of the frame, spring trucks within the track on which the frame is supported, means by which the track is prevented from dropping away from the trucks, and also means by which the t1 ucl-zs are prevented from dropping away from the frame.

3. In a vehicle the combination of a main frame 3 self-laying chain track at each side of thefrome, spring trucks Within the track on 'which the frmne is supported, means by which the track is prevented from dropping away from the trucks, and also means by whieh the truc-ks are prevented from dropping nwuy from the frame, the trucks each composed of a plurality of sectlons, the sections being hinged together on a pivot shaft which extends across beneath the machine.

4;. In a vehicle, a selfleying track mechanism including driving and ldler sprocket wheels, :1 ehaintriiili eerried by said wheels,

an extended truck frame within each trziek'; '20

load supporting rollers journaled on the and support the track vwhereby to prevent the latter from dropping away from the rollers.

In testimony whereofl have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing 3 witnesses.

PLINY E. HOL' Witnesses:

J 01m H; HERRING, W'. WV. l t-1mm. 

